I Tried a Charcoal-and-Lemon Detox Cleanse for Two Weeks (And It Didn't Suck)

Dirty Lemon Detox

KELLY SHERIN

I've never been the type of person to try a cleanse. If I can't have a glass of Malbec or copious amounts of cheese, it's pretty much not an option for me. But then I heard about the Dirty Lemon Detox, a juice cleanse that can be added to your usual diet without the need for any other changes. There are no rules, no limitations, no schedule. The only tips the company offers? "It works best on a full stomach. So drink post-pancakes," the included literature advises. Now that I can handle. And then came another nudge in the right direction: The juice, a blend of water, raw cold-pressed lemon juice, activated charcoal sourced from coconut shells, dandelion-root extract, and ginger-root extract, is absolutely freakin' delicious. Upon first sip, I knew this was something I could get on board with.

Unlike many sugar-laden juice cleanses, Dirty Lemon contains only one gram of sugar per 16-ounce bottle. It tastes like unsweetened lemonade, which, if you're a Sour Patch Kids fiend like me, is code for mouthwateringly addictive. (If you couldn't handle War Heads back in fifth grade, you might not love it; only one of four editor/taste-testers recoiled from the pucker-inducing taste.) And though there's something initially off-putting about sipping black liquid, you don't really notice the charcoal. Be sure to give the bottle a good shake before you open it, and you shouldn't notice any grittiness (though, full disclosure, I did sip up a clump of charcoal that had congealed at the bottom once).

The claims behind the cleanse are that it stimulates digestion, supports weight loss, balances your body's pH levels, and absorbs toxins in order to flush them from the body. All of that sounds awesome in theory, but I was skeptical about whether it could really accomplish all of those things (and whether "flushing toxins from the body" is even something that needs to happen when you have a liver). I needed an expert to set things straight.

"When ingested, activated charcoal can bind and flush out toxins—heavy metals, pesticides—and bacteria from the gut," says Brooke Alpert, a nutrition expert in New York City. Yes, your liver technically also helps with that, but Alpert's not opposed to a little boost. "We're constantly bombarding our bodies with more and more pollution and pesticides and the like, so I'm a fan of a little extra help in that department," she says.

As for the rest of those supposed benefits? Drinking one juice isn't going to do much to change your body's pH or help you lose weight, says Alpert. But the ingredients in it are overall pretty beneficial. "Some people find charcoal to have a bit of a laxative effect, and dandelion greens are natural diuretics, so they hep get rid of extra water weight. Ginger has anti-bloating benefits and is a natural anti-inflammatory, as is lemon," she says. "It's great if you want to kind of boost what you're doing, but if you're still eating pizza all day, it's not going to counteract that." So much for the totally-reverse-the-effects-of-pancakes theory.

And while experts agree that an alkalizing diet can be beneficial, drinking one juice isn't going to have much of an effect. "If you're going to eat all of these acid-producing foods, a little bit of lemon juice isn't that powerful," says Alpert. If, however, you're already eating a diet that's low in acid-producing foods (think more plant-based and less processed), the Dirty Lemon juice could make for a great addition, she explains.

After sipping one bottle a day in mid-to-late afternoon intermittently over the course of two weeks, nothing dramatic happened: no weight loss, no magical change in my energy levels or digestion or skin or anything. But in addition to thoroughly enjoying drinking each one (seriously, can't stress enough how delicious this stuff is), I think it had a positive impact on me. Choosing a beverage with supposed health benefits made me feel good, like I was doing something positive and proactive in taking charge of my own health. And according to Alpert, that's nothing to scoff at. "Sometimes the act of having a green tea or a green juice in the afternoon helps people think that they're taking care of themselves," she says. "Sometimes even these small steps can lead to more positive behaviors. Something as small as putting lemon in your water brings people more mental awareness [about] treating themselves right. Maybe they become more likely to make a better choice for their next meal. If it has that kind of influence, great."

Each $65 case contains six bottles of the juice, which you can pretty much sip whenever—with one major caveat: Because activated charcoal can bind to medication and supplements and render them ineffective (it's the stuff they use at the hospital to treat drug overdoses!), the company suggests putting a five-hour buffer between the juice and any pills you plan to take. I'd read one account of someone trying to health-ify their Dirty Lemon juice even more by adding vitamin powder to it, but that's pretty much exactly what you shouldn't do.

The bottom line? "I'm for it—it's a really cool drink idea," says Alpert. But don't mix it with meds, and don't trick yourself into believing it's a magic way to counteract that entire Shake Shack Shroom Burger you just polished off.